The House of Representatives has resolved to investigate the whereabouts and activities being carried out by the Chinese medical team that arrived in the country a few weeks ago.
The call followed a motion on Matters of Urgent Public Importance moved by Dachung Musa Bagos (PDP, Plateau) calling for an investigation into the whereabouts and activities of the 15-man Chinese team.
The House, therefore, mandated the Minister of Health to give a detailed, full status and report of activities of the Chinese medical team to the speaker as earlier agreed during their meeting on April 7, 2020.
READ: We don’t know Chinese medics’ whereabouts – FG
It also mandated its Committees on Health Services, Interior, National Security and Intelligence as well as its Committee on Foreign Affairs to investigate the reports of Chinese medical team’s whereabouts and who they really are.
Presenting the motion, Bagos recalled “that on 3rd of April, 2020, the Federal Government announced that an 18 member Team of Medical Personnel; comprising of Doctors, Nurses and other Medical Advisers will arrive the country along with a plane-load of additional PPE.
“On the 8th of April, 2020, a 15 member Team of Chinese Medical Personnel arrived in the Country to share their experiences in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic and were received at the Nnamdi International airport, Abuja by some Government officials, including the Minister of Health”.
“Speed up local production of vaccines”
Meanwhile, the House has called on the federal government to speed up local production of vaccines for the COVID-19 and other diseases.
The call followed a motion of Urgent Public Importance moved by Chike John Okafor at the Plenary on Tuesday, on the need to produce vaccine locally to address the ravaging COVID-19 Pandemic and other diseases.
READ: Local cure for COVID-19 at advanced stage, says Ooni
He noted that the Yaba Vaccine Production Laboratory Lagos was active in vaccine production for about six decades, between 1940 and 1991, producing large quantities of vaccines against smallpox, rabies and yellow fever not only for Nigeria, but also for neighbouring countries like Cameroon, and other African countries.
He, however, lamented that the Laboratory, was closed down by the Federal Government in 1991 for an upgrade to optimal production but the facility has remained under lock and key till date.
According to the lawmaker, in 2017, the federal government signed a partnership agreement with May and Baker Nigeria PLC to float a company named Biovaccine Limited for the commencement of local vaccine production in Nigeria.
The company, according to him, is, however, yet to commence the production of those live-saving vaccines adding that, African Countries like South Africa, Tunisia, Ethiopia, Madagascar and Senegal have functional laboratories for production and export of vaccines.
The motion noted that local production will save Nigeria billions of Naira from vaccine importation and guarantee the availability of vaccines during routine immunization as well as exports to other African Countries.
The House, therefore, mandated the Committees on Healthcare Services, Health Institutions and Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria to invite the Minister of Health and other stakeholders to brief the Committees and deliberate on possible ways of getting the needed legislative support to fast track the production of vaccines in Nigeria.
The committees are to report back within four (4) weeks for further legislative action.
